mccarthy



(No Model.)

3 Sheets- Sheet 1.

M. F. MGGARTHY. HRB PROOF BUILDING.

Patented July 7,1891.

me cams persas co., Pnefnmrwo., wAsNmcrnnfn; c4 l (NoV Model.) 3 Sheets-Shed. 2.

M.v F. MGGARTHY.

HRB PROOF BUILDING. No. 455,687. l Patented July 7,1891.

faggi (No Model.) s 3 sheets-'sheet 3. M. F. MOCARTHY. PIRE PROOF BUILDING.-

No. 455,687. Patented July -7, 1891.

m Noms versus on.. mow-mum. WASHINGTON. n. c.

`UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MITCHELL F. MCCARTHY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED STATES FIRE PROOFING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FIRE-PROOF BUILDING SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 455,687, dated July '7, 1891. Application led February 24, 1891A. Serial No. 382,342. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.: beam and of the cost and trouble in fitting Be it known that I, MITCHELL F. MCCAR- the same, but avoids the drilling' of the beams, THY, a citizen of the United States, residing -so that these remain unweakenedf, and for at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State any given load or strain are required to be of 55 .5 of Illinois, have invented certain new and much less than the ordinary depth or thickuseful Improvements in Fire-Proofing Buildness. The total Weight of structural iron or ings, of which the following is hereby desteel entering into the iioor or roof is in conclared to 4be a full, clear, and exact descripsequence greatly diminished without in the tion, sufficient to enable others skilled in the least impairing its efficiency, while the Hoor 6o ro art to which such invention appertains to is laid quickly and at less expense than remake and use the same. sults from handling and` setting large num- The invention designs to provide a iirebers of fragile tile, which must be previously proof floor, ceiling, or roof, such as shall be baked and prepared. suitable for use in hotels, Warehouses, or By proper adaptation ot' theimprovements 65 I5 other buildings and in bridges, viaducts, duc.; and of the compound Aselected as a filling and theimprovement has for its object to furspans or arches of much wider reach can be nish a floor of simple and compact structure, successfully bridged than is practicable by easily and quickly laid, and capable of Withthe older methods in vogue. The expanse of n standing heavy loads or strains, the inventhe foundation-footings is materiallyreduced, 7o 2o tion serving more especially as a substitute as Well also the weight of the columns, carfor the cumbrous terra-cotta and tile fillings riers, girders, and beams, so that the use of that are commonly employed in connection the invention enables higher structures for With so-called fire-proof constructions. A any given foundation to be erected, or,if the According to the proposed plan a plastic height be the same, essentially lessens the 75 y 25 concrete of suitable composition is laid beload to -be carried, and in consequence the .Y f

tween the series of beams or girders which cost of columns, beams, and other structural constitute the skeleton frame for the floor. parts. A fabric or netting ordinarily of metal Wire The exact nature of the improvements Wil is drooped across from beam to beam bemore fully appear from the description fol- So 3o tween and over the same, so as to be embedlowing and be clearly pointed out' in claims ded With the beams in the plastic compound. at the conclusion of the same. The Weight or load is thus carried in large In the accompanying drawings like letters measure by the fabric itself, which is supof reference denote like part-s of structure ported at the tops of the beams and in such throughout. 85 35 relation utilizes the full depth of the unweak- Figure l shows in sectional 'View a Hoor ened beam as an eiiicient means for sustainstruct-urer embodying the invention, With ing and distributing the load. The Ause of beams, fabric, and filling, and the temporary the fabric in the relation proposedv powerstaging in position, as usual in the process of fully supplements whatever tenacity may inmanufacture. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the 9o 4o here in the concret-e and as Well the strength completed floor Lwith its surface coat or finish, due to its support and thrust` at the beams, the temporary staging being removed. Fig. so that the thickness of .flooring otherwise Sis a sectional View of amodiiied form of floor` necessary if a simple concrete lling were structure, exhibiting a compound beam and used is very markedly reduced, and indeed double fabric suitable for wide spans or un- 95 45 enables a plastic compound to be employed usual loads. Fig. 4 is a sectional View of a Where, except for the improvement, it would floor with simple catenarydroop to the fabric. prove impracticable and insufficient. Fig. 5 is a sectional View on line 5 5 of Fig. l, As a substitute for terra-cotta or hollowand Fig. G a plan view of a portion of the fabtile floor constructions the use of the fabric ,ric or netting. Figs. 7, S, and 9 exhibitmodiroc 5o in manner proposed not only dispenses with fied shapes or types of the licor structure.

the need of tie-rods extending from beam to Extending in usual fashion to the Walls or girders of thev building are the series of beams A, arranged at proper distance apart with reference to the load they carry. The beams may be of wood or iron, and in theform shown are of the familiar I-pattern generally adopted for structural purposes. Over the tops of the beams A is carried the fabric or netting B, preferably made of metal wire and having its main strands b, which extend from beam to beam, inmeshed or interlaced with the cross-strands c to constitute a stout support. The strands Z) are generally made heavier than the cross-strands c, because subjected to a greater duty in carrying the load. The strands c serve as bracesor stays in distributing the strain and furnish with the main strands b proper interlocks to aid in thoroughly embedding and retaining the concrete filling C. At the outset the free terminal of `the fabric B is lapped around the last or end I-beam of lthe series, Figs. l and 2,'and has its strands b secured together, as shown, for the purpose of holding the fabric against slip or displacement. The fabric is laid from beam to beam over the tops thereof and droops between the same, so that ordinarily the main portion of the concrete filling C at the center of the arch or span shall there be above the line ofthe netting. The fabric maybe drooped between the I-beams in simple catenary form, Fig. 4L, or, as preferred in practice, is strained to assume a position under tension, in which the strands b will actsomewhat as chords or braces in carrying the load and in withstanding sudden shocks or strains. A temporary staging is provided, which acts to retain the plastic cement until it has properly set or hardened within pockets that exist between contiguous beams. The staging consists of the girders D, mounted upon the III-beams A, and by th rough bolts and nuts d, carrying' the lower companion girder E and the floorooards e, arranged slightly below vthe I-beams A. The upper timbers D generally rest upon spacing-blocks f, Fig. l, at the I-beams, which blocks enable the workmen to obtain ready access beneath the timbers D, so that the licoring can there be smoothly finished beneath and at the proper level. The temporary iiooring having been located in proper position with the fabric drooping from beam to beam and over the same, a metal cross-bar (T- iron) is preferably placed at the sag or lowest level of the fabric in position beneath the screw-jacks H. By adjusting the jacks H so as to bear upon the cross-bars G the fabric B is brought under tension or strain, which latter is capable of nice adjustment, and is rendered substantially equal for the several pockets of the floor, so that the strains on I-beams A are evenly distributed at both sides. The presence of the cross-bars Genables the jacks H to be applied to the fabric with substantially uniform effect throughout.

Any of the usual concretes or plastic compositions which set or harden upon exposure can be employed as a filling for the floorpockets, preference being had for those which are tenacious and fire-resisting, light, and capable of withstanding severe crushing strains as well. Experience has shown that a compound consisting of fibrous material-such as asbestus, sawdust, or cork-incorporated with plaster-of-paris, caustic lime, and hydraulic cement is quite satisfactory for the purpose. The ingredients named may be variously combined as follows: ib rous material, twenty-tive to eighty per cent.; hydraulic cement, three to ten per cent.; caustic lime, two to five per cent.; plaster-of-paris, fifteen to fifty per cent. The fibrous material ispredominant and insures lightness. The plaster-of-paris renders the composition quick to harden and enables it to readily cement with any resinous or fibrous substance and Vproduces a tough resisting compound that cannot be readily fractured by sudden jars or blows. The

caustic lime acts as a preservative for metalY and wood and prevents disintegration vand corrosion,besidesbeingabetternon-conductor of heat. The hydraulic cement contributes to the fire-resisting qualities of the material and to its hardness and tendency to set rapidly. Greater lightness is attained by increasing the proportion of the fiberingredient. The material is mixed with watertoabout the consistency of stiff mortar and is filled into the floor-pockets, so as to completely incase the netting B and iuclose the I-beams Aboth above and below. A cap fr', Fig. et, of stout paper or the like, may be set over the upper face of the beams A to rcceive the fabric B. The caps fi serve as guards` to prevent the fabric from being torn or otherwise injured by contact with the joists or beams.` The floorpockets are filled in succession, and when the entire series is completed andthe composition has sufficiently set the temporary staging is removed and shifted to new position. The lower ends of the jacks H are easily withdrawn from the filling compound iny which they are embedded, and the holes thus left are filled in. A top dressing Z, Fig. 2, of iner quality of cement can be laid across the fiooring, if desired, although in many instances the body filling itself may be carried to the upper level indicated for the top dressing, and thus complete the protection of the I-beams against exposure.

Forv spans of unusual reach--say twenty `feet or more-or where the load to be carried is unusually great, a compound beain,Fig. 3, consisting of doubleI-beam A', secured together by spacing-bolts and sleeves a', can be substituted for the simple I-bearn ordinarily employed. Protecting caps or plates t" are arranged at the upper and lower faces of the compound beam, and in the example shown a double fabric or netting B B2 is extended from beam to beam to sustain the filling and the superposed load. Gross-bars G are mounted, as usual, in effecting the desired tension IDO upon the fabric. Itis obvious that instead of the double netting there may be three or more distinct fabrics distributed at various distances apart and embedded within the filling if the load to be carried should require such additional strength to be given.

For a ceiling finish the underpart of each pocket may be arched or cambered, Fig. 8, or left in truss-like form, Fig. 9, if desired. Such constructions serve also to reduce the body of the filling, so that the dead Weight thus carried bythe fabric is correspondingly lessened. To the same end it may be advisable at times to provide a series of hollow tiles or cores m n o, Fig. 7, previously prepared and of proper size and contour to be sustained in place from the temporary staging. Plastic composition can be snugly tamped about such cores, the

shape and material whereof serve, in lieu of the composition which they displace, as a means for strengthening the filling and rendering it solid.

In lieu of the fabric or netting proper it may be advisable or sufficient at times, especially where the strain is comparatively slight, to providea series of simple strands alone, such strands being arranged side lby side at proper distances apart, (as with the fabric,) and 'drooping over and between the I-beams in like fashion asif the fabric were employed. Obviously modifications in detail, such as the skill of the mechanic may effect or improvements which none the less involve substan- V tially the same elements of structure here disclosed, are equallyY included within the scope of the invention.

It will be understood that the improvements herein described may be practiced without using the particular composition set forth, which latter forms no part of ythe present invention, andis `in no wise included as part thereof.

- Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

. l. The. combination, with thebeams, of the wire strands extending over and drooped between the same, and the concrete filling Wherel in said beams and strands are embedded, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the beams, of the wire fabric extending over and drooped un- ,der positive tension between the same, and the concrete filling wherein said beams and fabrics are embedded, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the bea-ms, of the wire fabric extending over and drooped 11nder positive tension between the same, the

concrete filling wherein said beams, bar, and fabric are embedded, substantially as described.

4. The method of laying door structures,

and between contiguous beams,.embeddingy the beams and fabric in plastic concrete, and maintaining the fabric under tension While the concrete lilling hardens or sets, substantially as describe Y f 5. The combination, with the beams, of the Wire strands extending over and drooped between' the same, and the pocket filling sustained by said strands', substantially as described.

MITCHELL F. MCCARTHY.

lVitnesses:

G. XVEV. BARBER, FRED. GERLACH.

cross-bar bearing against said fabric, and the 6o which consists in drooping a wire fabric over 6 5 

